Wang Wenbin, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Photo: fmprc.gov.cn

 
The Lancang-Mekong Cooperation (LMC), a sub-regional tie-up, has become the most dynamic sub-regional cooperation mechanism with the strongest potential, Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on Wednesday, which marks the sixth anniversary of the mechanism.

The LMC was officially launched at the inaugural LMC Leaders' Meeting in Sanya, South China's Hainan Province, on March 23, 2016. Its members include the six countries along the Lancang-Mekong River: China, Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam.

The mechanism has boosted the development of countries and set an example for the building of a community with a shared future for mankind, Wang said.

The LMC has continued to make high-level headway since last year, despite the COVID-19 pandemic and a sluggish recovery of the world economy, the spokesperson said.

During the sixth LMC Foreign Ministers' Meeting in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality in June 2021, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi and the foreign ministers of the five Mekong countries agreed to deepen cross-board cooperation in a wider range of areas and usher in another "Golden Five Years" of the LMC.

The six nations have maintained close exchanges at all levels, produced fruitful results in anti-epidemic cooperation and engaged in active online and offline interactions, the spokesperson said.

Last year, China's trade with the five Mekong countries totaled nearly $400 billion, a jump of around 23 percent from the year before, contributing to the economic rebound of the countries and the regional prosperity and revitalization, the spokesperson added.

Global Times